UNH Hospitality Management Program Hosted Nassikas Lecture Series
Offered insights into the importance of service standards
The University of New Hampshire Hospitality Management Program hosted its second Annual Nassikas Lecture Series on service standards April 1, 2016, at the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. The 2 hour program featured The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, presenting "Service Excellence Culture."
DURHAM, NH -- The University of New Hampshire Hospitality Management Program hosted its second Annual Nassikas Lecture Series on service standards April 1, 2016, at the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. The 2 hour program featured The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, presenting "Service Excellence Culture."
"Service standards help to define what a customer can expect and to remind management and employees of the challenge and obligations they face," said Nelson Barber, chair of the Hospitality Management Program. "The program touched on topics that benefit all businesses, such as the importance of understanding customers' expectations, establishing robust operational systems in order to reduce mistakes and rework, developing a customer-centric culture within your organization to drive brand loyalty, guiding the customers' experiences, and improving your employee engagement through service values and empowerment to reduce turnover."
Launched in 2000, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center has welcomed thousands of senior executives, managers and staff from leading companies and healthcare organizations around the world. By exploring the award-winning Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards of practice, industry professionals, students, and faculty participants discovered how a service excellence culture results in engaged employees and customers.
The Nassikas Lecture Series was made possible by a generous donation from James and Helen Nassikas. James Nassikas, a UNH Hospitality Management alumnus ('52), is recognized worldwide for his dedication to service standards in the hospitality industry. In 1979, Harvard Business School selected Nassikas and the Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco, where he was president and general manager for 20 years, as the subjects of a celebrated case study that was a mainstay of the school for 10 years. In 1986, Nassikas was named Independent Hotelier of the World by International Hotels Magazine.
"The Nassikas Lecture Series has become an integral part of the Program through the recently created course titled Principals of Service Delivery, which explores the philosophy, strategy and style of management that service organizations use to gain a competitive advantage in this age of consumer demanded and satisfaction. With technology driving much of how we engage today, this topic becomes much more relevant," said Professor Janis Donovan, who created the course and organized this event.
About UNH"s Hospitality Management Program
UNH"s Hospitality Management program is the second-oldest hospitality management program in the United States taking a one-size-fits-one approach to each prospective student. The program provides students with the overall breadth and depth of a common core of business courses in accounting, economics, information systems, and management, as well as professional interdisciplinary courses and internship opportunities in hotel management, food service and restaurant management, conventions and event management, real estate and finance management, among other hospitality management areas. For more information, visit https://paulcollege.unh.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/bs-hospitality-management.
About UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics Paul College prepares students for fulfilling careers and lives with impact. Driven by an unwavering commitment to excellence in teaching, research and business engagement, Paul College empowers students with the academic foundation, specialized knowledge, skills and hands-on learning experiences to develop as principled, well-rounded, and hard-working professionals and leaders.
Paul College of Business and Economics offers a full complement of high-quality programs in business, economics, accounting, finance, management, information systems and business analytics, entrepreneurship, marketing, and hospitality management. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive development levels. The college is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting agency for business schools worldwide. For more information, visit paulcollege.unh.edu.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space- grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,300 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.
Media Contact
Nelson A. Barber
[email protected] 603.862.3571